Attention Members: Watch your mailboxes! Colorado Bar Association ("CBA") dues invoices were mailed at the end of May and are due July 1, 2003, in order to keep your membership active. An active CBA membership means that you will continue to receive products, services, and information that benefit you in the legal profession. These include The Colorado Lawyer publication, CBA listservs, and other important CBA news, both through traditional print and state-of-the-art means, in addition to the many discounts you receive on CBA-CLE programs, products, and other great CBA services.

On June 17, 2003, the CBA’s Domestic Violence Make It Your Business group will provide a domestic violence training for members and guests of the La Junta Chamber of Commerce. The training will take place from noon to 2 p.m. To register and for location information, please contact Dawn Marsh at (719) 384-5991, ext. 241, or dmarsh@ci.la-junta.co.us.

Grand Junction residents can attend a Make It Your Business training on June 18, 2003, from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, please contact Rose Anne Plante at (970) 257-2419 or rplante@gvhospice.com.

LOCAL BAR NEWS

The Arapahoe County Bar Association will host its Annual Meeting and Golf Tournament on June 27, 2003, at the Murphy Creek Golf Club, 1700 S. Old Tom Morris Rd., Aurora. The shotgun start of the golf tournament is set for 1:30 p.m., followed by a social hour at 6:00 p.m. and dinner at 7:00 p.m. The price of $99 covers green fees, cart rental, beverage tickets, special rain gear, and a prime rib dinner. Interested only in golf or dinner? The cost to play is $89; dinner only is $25. For more information, please contact Steve McBride at (303) 740-7422.

The Weld County Bar Association ("WCBA") announces the opening of its newly relocated law library. The WCBA Law Library is now located at 916 Tenth St., Greeley. The WCBA is leasing space in the building’s basement from the law firm of Jorgensen, Motycka, and Lewis. The WCBA library holdings include sets of books specifically requested by members. Books will circulate, and patrons can check them out for up to one week at a time. Computerized research and Internet access from the library’s site also are available. Library hours are 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Contact Joseph Bodine, at (970) 304-0570, with questions about the library’s holdings, with information about overdue books, or to donate books.

The Weld County Bar Association held its annual dinner on Friday, May 2, 2003. Colorado Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Love-Kourlis was the guest speaker for the evening and 100-hour pro bono awards were presented to the following attorneys: Joseph Bodine, Jack Davis, Dallas Greenfield, Zane Pic, and Mark Rapp.

The Pueblo County Bar Association will hold its 2003 Dinner and Golf Tournament (featuring casino night) on Friday, June 20, 2003, at the Pueblo Country Club. The golf tournament begins at 11:00 a.m., cocktails are at 6:00 p.m., dinner is at 7:00 p.m., and casino night begins at 8:00 p.m. The cost is $35 for the golf tournament (for nonmembers of the Country Club); $12 per person for a golf cart; $30 for the buffet dinner. Please R.S.V.P. in writing to: Municipal Court, c/o Hon. William D. Alexander, 140 Central Main, Pueblo, CO 81003. Include your check, payable to Pueblo County Bar Association. Provide name(s), the number participating in the golf tournament (include names of team members or indicate if you would like a team arranged for you), and the number attending the dinner.

The Denver Bar Foundation’s 2003 Barrister’s Benefit Ball ("BBB"), "Puttin’ on the Ritz" was truly a "ritzy" event! The annual fundraiser for the Metro Volunteers Lawyers ("MVL") organization was held on April 26, 2003. The evening included dinner, dancing to live music, a casino, and a raffle for prizes. In addition to a grand time, the event provides an opportunity to recognize individuals and a law firm for their dedication to providing pro bono legal services to MVL (see photo). Raffle prizes that were handed out during the evening and the prizewinners are: YiaYia’s Dinner—John Carey; Dining/Shopping—Sarah Crum; $1,000—Ed Bronfin; and Lasik Eye Surgery—D. Turner.

The Denver Bar Association ("DBA") will host its Annual Party on June 11, 2003, at 5:30 p.m., at the Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy. The party, which will include free food and drink, also will honor the 2003 recipients of the DBA Awards. This year’s recipients are: Award of Merit—Ben Aisenberg; Volunteer Lawyers of the Year—Rebecca Franciscus and Lisa Williams; Young Lawyer of the Year—Marte Timmers; and Judicial Excellence—Colorado Supreme Court Justice Mary Mullarkey.

SPECIALTY AND MINORITY BAR ASSOCIATIONS

The Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Association ("APABA") held its annual Minoru Yasui Scholarship Banquet on April 4, 2003, at the Palace Chinese Restaurant in Denver. This year’s Minoru Yasui Award recipient was Karen Nakandakare,Interim Shelter Director of the Boulder County Safehouse. Winners of the 2003 Minoru Yasui Scholarship were Sharon Lee, from the University of Colorado; and Thai Soo Kim, from the University of Denver.

• Hanging Your Shingle: If you are considering opening a new firm, this two-and-a-half-day program on June 5–7, 2003, sponsored by the CBA Lawyer’s Professional Liability Committee, is one not to be missed! A faculty of seasoned practitioners will provide in-depth coverage of numerous issues faced in the creation of a new law firm. Every participant will receive extensive course materials that will provide checklists, forms, and useful articles. Cost is $199 for CBA members and $249 for nonmembers. CLE credits are anticipated—19 general, including 3 ethics, have been applied for. Attendance is limited. The program is being held at the CBA-CLE third-floor classroom, 1900 Grant St., Denver.

• Incentive Compensation in LLCs and the Merger of LLCs: This half-day program on June 11, 2003, will feature a discussion of incentive compensation in various forms for LLCs. Colorado business law applicable to "inter-species" mergers and the transaction formats that permit tax-free mergers of these entities under federal tax law also will be discussed. The program has been submitted for 3 general CLE credits. Cost is $99 for CBA Business Law Section members, $109 for CBA members, and $129 for nonmembers. The program is being held at the CBA-CLE third-floor classroom, 1900 Grant St., Denver.

• 2003 Intellectual Property Institute: This first annual program, scheduled for June 12–13, 2003, and sponsored by the CBA Patent, Copyright, and Trademark Section, will explore timely intellectual property topics from the perspectives of both business transactions and litigation. Registrants will be able to choose the topics they are most interested in, from licensing and technology to developments in the federal circuit and winning an infringement case before it goes to trial. The program will be held in the third-floor CBA-CLE classroom, 1900 Grant St., Denver. CLE credits—14 general—are anticipated. Cost is $199 for CBA Patent, Copyright & Trademark Section members, $209 for CBA members, and $229 for nonmembers.

For more information about these or other programs, and for a list of CBA-CLE publications, see the "CBA-CLE Planning Guide" in each issue of The Colorado Lawyer or call (303) 860-0608 or toll free in-state, (888) 860-2531. Link to more information about CBA-CLE seminars, publications, home study, and more from the CBA website, www.cobar.org.

Bar News Highlight . . .

The “Highlight” portion of Bar News presents, among other things, vignettes about lawyer activities outside the practice of law and/or member contributions to the community. If you have an interesting avocation, story, or tall tale to relate, or if you would like to recommend someone to be “highlighted,” please contact Lindsay Packard at: lpackard@cobar.org. News and photos of Bar events, awards, and activities continue to be in great demand, so keep them coming as well!

Photo credit: Christopher Tomlinson,The Daily Sentinel

Greg Hoskin and "The Big Straw."

Greg Hoskin is Lighting Up the Skyby Lindsay Packard

"I like things that go boom," confided Grand Junction attorney Greg Hoskin, when asked about his affinity for fireworks and pyrotechnics. A simple answer from a man who surrounds himself with a myriad of hobbies and interests, as well as a career as a shareholder at Hoskin, Farina, Aldrich & Kampf.

Hoskin, father of three and grandfather of seven, has spent the past twenty years perfecting and improving his pyrotechnic displays. What was once a small hobby geared toward his and his family’s enjoyment has now amplified to a fireworks display greater than what you’d see in most small towns. In recent years, Hoskin’s Fourth of July fireworks display/party has grown to more than 150 friends and family members.

"A few years ago, I got properly licensed, and the fireworks display really grew—permits and licenses are needed to buy the bigger aerial shells, which can be up to twelve inches in diameter. Some friends and I built a thirty-two-acre reservoir, which provided us a great, safe place to set off the rounds. It’s a wonderful place for family and friends to gather—everyone has a great time."

The summer of 2002 was a missed occasion for Hoskin to light up the sky. Severe drought conditions in Colorado forced the annual July event to be postponed, but only until New Year’s Eve. The event took on a whole new look and feel.

"It takes us all day to prepare for the show. It was snowing like hell right up to the time the program was going to start. We made a huge bonfire, and by the time we were ready to start, the snow had stopped and the ground and trees were covered with two beautiful inches of snow. It was truly a grand event."

Hoskin takes no risks when it comes to preparing the display; safety of production team and viewers is of paramount concern. Many of the fireworks are set off electronically with wiring boards and Hoskin has help with the set-up by other pyrotechnic professionals. Firefighting equipment is always on hand, and the reservoir serves as an excellent safety back-up.

Colorado’s water supply (or the lack thereof) also has been on Hoskin’s mind in recent years. "About ten years ago, some colleagues on the Colorado River Water Conservation Board and I drew on a napkin an idea for a Colorado River pumpback system. We quickly dismissed the plan because we figured there was no way that Colorado could afford the cost. Essentially, the idea was to build a pipeline and take the water from the Colorado-Utah border, pump it through Glenwood Canyon, and raise the water 5,000 feet to the Continental Divide, where it could be distributed to the Arkansas, South Platte, and Colorado River basins."

Hoskin, a water lawyer, who is now on the Colorado Water Conservation Board, abandoned his idea, only to return to it as the biggest drought in Colorado history increased in its severity. He nicknamed the project "The Big Straw." Both supporters and opponents of Hoskin’s plan refer to it as "a pipe dream," and even Hoskin is unsure whether the idea is feasible for Colorado and its economy.

The plan has received press coverage from around the state, and a proposal for a $500,000 study is currently in front of Colorado lawmakers. As for Hoskin, he continues to be a busy man, trying to find the balance between fire and water.